The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-05
KEPTOUTBYQ QUARANTINE
WHAT SHIPPING MEN SAY ABOUT
THE LOCAL LAWS.

lnJurlnB Jne BUSINESS OF JnS FOrJ-
How the Coffee Trade Was Driven
Out-Some of the Complaints Made.
The quarantine regulations at this port
are the cause of complaint by nearly every
sea captain who brings a vessel here, and
they are fast driving away from Savannah
vessels that otherwise seek trade here. 1t
is a well known fact among all shippers that
Savannah is avoided by vessels unless there
are great inducements for them TO come
here, and the only reason is that they are
put to all sorts of Inconvenience, expenses
and delays by the quarantine requirements.
There is no objection to quarantining
when there is reason for it, but vessels that
come from ports that are not prescribed,
and that have been thirty or forty days at
sea are sometimes fumigated as if they had
come from infected districts while at other
times vessels coming from ports that have
been quarantined regularly in years pre-
vious, are allowed to come to the city with
out being fumgated.
IRREGULAR GUARANTEEING.
Last year the Cape de Verde Islands were
quarantined, but this year they are not.
Shipping men say that they know no reason
for that and it gives them but a poor idea
of quarantine, for if there was reason
TO fumigate vessels from the Cape
de Verde Islands last year why
not this year. The conditions of the
islands so far as health is concerned has
been the same both years.
The detention of the Belle Hooper is
cited by all shippers as the example of
foolish quarantine regulations. Coming
from Barbados, windward port, noted
for its healthflineSs, she discharges her
g latt, nd taira
Philadelphia crew, then came to Savannah
and was detained at quarantine and fumi
gated They think that if she was healthy
enough for Philadelphia, she ought to have
been healthy enough for Savannah.
UNNECESSARY DETENTION,
One shipper said: ''To state the case
simply, claim that if a vessel comes from
even suspected port, with a clear bill of
health, has had no sickness aboard during
the voyage and has been to sea for twenty
five or thirty days it is simply nonsense to
lay her up at quarantine for nobody knows
how long and fumigate her. But quaran-
tine here goes even further than that If
vessel comes from a healthy port she is
fumigated, if the port is in a suspected latl-
tude. although she may have a clean bill of
health and may have made her voyage
without having a single case of sickness of
any kind
CAUSES OF COMPLAINT.
One great trouble is the lack of room at
the station. Two small sailing vessels can
discharge there at the same time but there
is but one berth for steamers, and some
steamers cannot get to this wharf at ALL 1t
has only been a short while since a vessel
was required to pay 500 to have a lighter
brought down to her because she could not
get 10 the wharf to discharge her sand bal
last. This, it is said, is because the govern
ment jetty, which has been recently built
there, has caused shoaling at the station
and left no depth of water. 1t was the in
tention TO make the jetty a discharging
point, but the government appropriation
ran out, the officer i'll charge of the work
left the city, and the people seem to have
taken no interest in the matter since his
departure. This limited wharfage makes
the stay at quarantine very uncertain.
Vessels have to take their turn in going to
the wharf, and sometimes they have to
remain in waiting for several days. They
then discharge and are fumigated, and then
there is wait or at least six days more.
A USELESS WAIT.
One shipper said yesterday that the six
days wait after fumigation is a great an
noyance, and is generally considered a use
less one, unless a vessel has come from an
infected port but it would not be half as
bad if there was a certainty of being re-
leased AFTER SIX days.
Il have inquiries about the length of time
vessel will have to remain at quarantine
be said, land when | try to find out the
answer is, minimum six days. That mini
mum drives many a vessel away. They
might as well say three weeks as
minimum six days. When a man starts
piece of property that is worth in
the neighborhood of $4,000, as these
teamers are, to a port he wants
days she will lose He does not want such
an answer as is given, for every day his
vessel lies at quarantine he loses SO, and he
wants to know just how long he will have
to lose that amount per day, and when he
is told that it will be for at least six days,
and may be indefinitely, he is not going to
stop here if he can find another port where
he can make more money.
QUARANTINE OF OTHER PORTS.
There are great many vessels" he CON
tinued, that are engaged in the trade
between Liverpool and Havana, but they
never come here. They go to New Orleans,
with regulations that are sufficiently lenient
to admit ships that we can Also
Another evil complained of by the
shippers Is lack of communication between
quarantine and the city. Vessels put in
here for orders, and they are detained at the
stdtlon ana frequently cannot get word to
the city that they are there. 1t is thought
that there should be some means of COM
municating in order to facilitate the move
ments of vessels
Another complaint is the heavy expense
of fumigation.
QUARANTINE CHARGES.
The bill which vessel that recently came
into port had to pay was $92 This, say the
shippers, opens another question 1t is
reasonable to charge the vessels the cost of
fumigation, although the quarantine is
maintained by the city, and for the benefit
of the city, still the vessels would willingly
pay the cost if they had to
pay no more, but quarantine
IS made source of reve-
nue.. According to the last report
Of the Mayor the expenses of quarantine
for 1856 were S., $40 "A, while the receipts
were S49S4, or nearly double. This is put
IN the same category with the port charges
that are now being disputed. II is claimed
that it is unconstitutional for the CITY to
turn quarantine into source Of revenue, on
the ground that it is levying duty upon
commerce
DISPosING OF THE BALLAST.
But the charges are not all. The crews of
the vessels discharge her ballast and are
then required 10 haul it TO whatever point
the quarantine officer may select and level
il. The shippers make the claim that il is
the duty of the city to remove and level the